


Toy Drive

by carolej126



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Childhood, Gen, Holidays
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-28
Updated: 2015-05-28
Packaged: 2018-04-01 17:35:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4028728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carolej126/pseuds/carolej126
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Originally published in Route 666 3 (Ashton Press, 2010)</p><p>Sam considers the children who don't have "a Dean" at Christmas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Toy Drive

His eyes kept going back to it, that box on top of the dresser. And each time, he frowned and resolutely looked away.

“Don’t forget, boys and girls, tomorrow is the last day for our toy drive.”

Sammy could hear her voice, see her face, as she’d told them about all of the poor boys and girls who wouldn’t have anything to play with, any Christmas presents, unless they all brought a new, unwrapped toy and dropped it into the special box at the front of the room.

She’d looked like she was going to cry.

Sammy had thought about that toy drive, those children, all the way home. And about Miss Williams, who’d looked so sad at the thought of someone having Christmas without presents.

He wasn’t sure what he could do to help, though. New and unwrapped. The unwrapped part was easy. They didn’t have any wrapping paper anyway. But… new?

The seven-year-old had toys. He did. Sammy had marbles that used to be Dean’s. He had hot wheel cars, with scratched hoods and wobbly wheels, that Dean had given to him. He even had a large brown teddy bear, that he knew was really a “baby toy” but carried anyway. And Dean almost never teased him about it. 

He had other toys, too. Plastic dinosaurs and legos that had come from Sammy’s favorite stores, where toys were piled up on shelves and all over the floor, and nobody got mad if you played with them.

And he had books. His dad had taken him to a used book store, and let Sam pick out two books while he searched for a book he needed. Dean had been allowed to pick two books, too, but he’d said he couldn’t find anything he wanted to read, and let Sammy pick out four instead. Sam wasn’t sure why Dean hadn’t been able to find anything – the store was filled almost to the ceiling with book after book. But he didn’t argue.

But his books were used, and he didn’t think anyone would want a used used book, especially if they were hoping for something new. 

He did have some money. One quarter, two dimes, and three pennies. But even he knew that wasn’t enough money to buy a present, especially a new one. 

Sammy looked back toward the dresser. He couldn’t help it. It was like something was calling him, making him look that way.

He shook his head, dismissing the thought that had taken residence there. There must be something else.

The dresser drawers were pulled out next. Faded t-shirts, jeans, socks, underwear, all pushed aside, in the hopes of revealing a treasure buried below. 

Sammy heaved a sigh. A flashlight and a knife. The flashlight wasn’t really a toy, even though he liked to play with it. And it wasn’t new.

The knife wasn’t new, either. And he didn’t doubt for a second that both Dean and his dad would be mad if he gave it away.

He’d considered asking his dad for help, but only for a moment. He already knew what his dad’s response would be. Right now, his dad was focused on a job – he didn’t know what kind – and would tell him that they just didn’t have enough money to go buying presents for kids they didn’t even know.

Dean would help, he knew that. His brother was sitting at the kitchen table, finishing his homework, and Sammy knew he wouldn’t mind being interrupted. But Dean’s way of helping would be to “borrow” something from the convenience store down the street. 

It wouldn’t be the first time. Sammy had seen Dean pocket more than a few small items, things that they didn’t have money for – usually when their dad was gone – or little treats that he swore were for him but somehow ended up in Sammy’s possession.

Sammy took a deep breath. He really didn’t want Dean to steal something, just so he could put it in that special box for the poor kids.

His gaze traveled across the bedroom, and then, once again, up to the top of the dresser. The box was still there. Calling him.

He chewed his lip, considering that box, and its contents. 

Joshua Davenport’s mom had given it to him. A “party favor,” she’d called it, when she’d shown up at school on Josh’s birthday with cupcakes, balloons, and birthday crowns for everyone to wear. 

It was new. He’d only played with it once, and he was pretty sure that still counted.

He sighed again. And tried to picture those kids in his mind, just like Miss Williams had told them to. 

He had enough toys, he really did. They all fit into his small toy bag when it was time to move to a new motel, or a new house. And that was good, because if he had too much, his dad would tell him that he’d have to leave something behind. It had happened before.

He considered those kids again. Maybe they didn’t have any presents and they didn’t have anyone to play with. He swallowed hard, not able to imagine what that would be like. What if they didn’t have any brothers or sisters. What if they didn’t have a Dean?

His mind was suddenly made up. He didn’t need that brand new, bright red race car with the racing stripes and number on the side. He already had enough toys of his own, and he had Dean. He didn’t need anything else.

Snatching the box from the top of his dresser, he tucked the brand new, unwrapped toy inside his backpack, and then went in search of his brother.

With a smile on his face.

~end~


End file.
